The fragile pause in Gaza has once again proven illusory, with residents waking to more explosions and gunfire despite the declared ceasefire. Overnight and throughout Sunday, multiple areas across the enclave were struck, leaving families grieving loved ones and communities confronting further devastation. From the south to the northern edge, the pattern felt grimly familiar: the kind of violence that continues to uproot lives even in moments nominally defined as calm.

In the south, entire residential blocks were reduced to rubble as heavy bombardment shattered what remained of already-scarred neighbourhoods. Those living near the ruins described the ground trembling before dawn, followed by the unsettling whir of drones and the crack of gunfire. Medical teams reported receiving the bodies of three people from the east of Khan Younis, where explosions ripped through densely populated districts. Farther north, streets in Gaza City that had once provided refuge for displaced families were hit again, with a strike in Al-Tuffah killing a civilian and wounding several others. A drone attack in Al-Zaytoun left new clusters of injuries, forcing volunteers to search through smoke and debris for survivors.

By afternoon, the skies above Gaza City and the north glowed with illumination flares, foreshadowing renewed shelling. Military vehicles advanced on eastern neighbourhoods while drones circled overhead, their buzzing heightening the fear of yet another strike. Near Beit Lahia, armoured units fired repeatedly towards residential areas. Even as details remained unclear, residents reported a large explosive detonation east of the city, deepening anxieties about the scale of operations taking place under the cover of a so-called truce. For many, the day ended as it began, under the weight of a genocidal war that continues to fracture lives and futures despite international calls for calm.